What if the same drones designed to deliver packages to online shoppers could be used to help astronauts move equipment aboard the international space station?

NASA is challenging developers, scientists, artists and engineers across the world to design apps for these and other futuristic ideas in the space agencys fourth annual space apps hackathon this weekend.

The three-day event takes place at more than 135 locations across the world, including the Washington region. New York City plays host to the global competition.

What started out as a way for NASA to harness innovative ideas from outside its walls has turned into a platform for the agency, academic institutions and technology companies to scour global tech talent.

This year, IBM is teaming up with NASA to provide cloud services to participants during the hackathon, the company said Tuesday.

Participants will be given access to IBMs Bluemix platform as well as the companys signature tools, such as the analytical power of supercomputer Watson to crunch NASA data. IBM employees will provide technical support during the event.

Microsoft, Google, Intel and other tech companies are among dozens of collaborators on the competition.

For IBM, the decision to partner with NASA fits in with a three-fold strategy to raise awareness about Bluemix, connect with the developer community and encourage interest in technology careers, said Sandy Carter, general manager of the companys cloud division.

We want to provide developers access to the top technology trends to spur innovation, she said.

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NASA, IBM team up on global hackathon to solve Earths problems